BUFFALO, N.Y. — A very bizarre and somewhat ominous cloud formation occurred this morning along the Lake Erie shore. Many of you may have seen this wall-like feature that extended from the upper Niagara River all the way down towards Hamburg.
Despite its ominous look, it certainly wasn’t threatening. A large temperature contrast helped create this lake effect cloud. Air temperatures at the time of the cloud formation were in the mid-teens while the water temperatures of Lake Erie is 48°. That’s about a 30° temperature difference which helps create the cloud which was fed by steam coming off the lake surface.
The process that formed of the cloud is very similar to the lake effect snow process. However, the cloud only extended a few hundred feet into the sky. This cloud structure was shifting south along the Lake Erie shoreline with a northerly breeze pushing along. It should dissipate as temperatures warm.
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